"Cough!"
Scarlet blood seeped from between the fingers covering his mouth. Tang San, his face pale, looked up, a flicker of fragile hope in his eyes.
An invisible energy lifted Tang Sui's cold, broken body. A dense black and red light erupted from her, transforming into a colossal pillar that shot from the ravaged earth straight into the turbulent heavens!
"Rumble!"
Crimson lightning suddenly cracked through the churning clouds, an ear-splitting thunder that dyed the illuminated sky a terrifying, heart-stopping scarlet. It resounded in everyone's ears, carrying an unyielding pressure that rooted them to the spot. They gazed at the darkening sky, at the only black and red light pillar shining in this world, at this scene that felt like the end of days.
"Boom—!"
The Ten-Headed Sun Serpent, standing on the plains, tilted its head towards the dark, terrifying sky. Realizing something, a flicker of apprehension and shock flashed in its scarlet eyes.
While far from the divine punishment it had once faced when ascending the High Heavens, the rule power almost overflowing from the crimson lightning reminded it of its battles with the deities who wielded such power.
Striking flesh was painful, but this pain pierced the soul.
Yet, the rules had acknowledged the little one's existence, so why were they now acting as if they intended to eradicate her completely?
Shang Yang couldn't understand. This did not stop his massive, heavily wounded body from moving. Coiled in a protective stance, he circled the black and red light pillar, letting out a defiant roar towards the sky and towards the unseen existence hidden beyond it.
"Roar—!"
"Rumble!"
The trembling roar mingled with the deafening thunder, piercing everyone's eardrums.
Thanks to their physical conditioning from military training, the ordinary soldiers, devoid of soul power, knelt on the ground, their faces ashen. They used their spears or bows to support their weakened bodies, and though their vision swam, they did not faint.
A sense of inexplicable crisis welled up within him. Years of honed intuition urged Tang San to act quickly, lest something happen that he would regret for the rest of his life.
Now the inheritor of the Sea God, though not yet truly a god, he could feel a pressure from the sky, more potent than when he had first seen the Sea God, and an indescribable aura.
Although he didn't know what exactly had happened to his sister, seeing Shang Yang's protective posture, he knew that unknown and fatal trouble had arrived, and he had to do something.
Tang San began to look around, searching for help and a solution.
But as he turned his head, he froze.
Whether it was his companions or his father, Tang Hao, their proud, upright backs seemed to be bent by an invisible force, compelling them to look at the sky with a humble, stunned, and horrified gaze.
Yet, except for being blown back and spitting blood when his sister's power erupted, he hadn't felt that terrifying pressure at all. He could only clearly and directly sense its presence.
A flash of inspiration struck him, and Tang San seized it.
Realizing something, Tang San slowly straightened his back, gripping the gleaming golden Sea God Trident. To everyone's surprise, including the unseen entity in the heavens, he transformed into a golden meteor, launching himself with all his might into the black and red light pillar.
"Little San—!"
The anxious cries of his loved ones echoed behind him. The Ten-Headed Sun Serpent, sensing Tang San's aura, twisted one of its bloody snake heads. Its massive scarlet eyes briefly met Tang San's, who was surrounded by golden light.
Tang San, tilting his head slightly, moved his lips, his words filled with relief and resolve:
"The rest is up to you."
He had failed to pull his sister out of the mire a long time ago. This time, he would not fail.
He was her brother, after all. How could he let his sister always stand in front of him!
Shang Yang's snake eyes narrowed. Before he could even stop him, the golden stream of light collided with the black and red light pillar. Even the crimson lightning striking from the sky paused for a moment.
In that instant of hesitation, the brilliant golden light was swallowed by the dense black and red glow. The colossal light pillar immediately expanded by several more circles. A heart-stopping sensation and an ominous premonition weighed down on everyone, their hearts pounding.
Tang San's action seemed to be a signal. The black-armored knights, stationed at the edge of the Heavenly Dou Army and forming a defensive line, also realized something. An unparalleled brilliance ignited in their eyes. Without hesitation, they poured all their strength into the God Eyes on their armor, allowing the evil energy, unhindered by any soul power, to erode their bodies and corrupt their flesh.
"Buzz—!"
Invisible power of faith rose from them, stretching into lines, converging from all directions towards the black and red light pillar that connected heaven and earth.
It came from the Heavenly Dou Empire's army, from the black-armored knights, from the citizens of the Slaughter City, and even from the Misty World, crossing spatial dimensions.
A vast stream of faith converged in the air, forming a visible, yet blinding, torrent of light.
Replacing the dense black and red, it spread out from Tang Sui's feet, extending to the heavens, leading directly to the Great Dao.
It was a heavenly road, and a heavenly stair.
Brilliantly shining small points of light leaped like fish from the vast path of light, rising into the air and scattering, transforming into several threads of light that rapidly extended, sealing off the surrounding space, leaving only a straight and wide avenue.
"Rumble—!"
Crimson lightning, imbued with the power of rules, struck the path of light in its fury.
Raven black and ethereal blue colors intertwined, like the gradient petals of an iris, the color of her hair gradually deepening.
"Halt."
Her slender, fair fingertips tapped the void. A profound Dao intent, beyond description, transformed into a protective garment that even rules could not shake. Her wide, blue-black sleeves fluttered like unfurled butterfly wings, tracing graceful arcs in the void.
Elegant yet bizarre patterns appeared on her revealed snow-white wrists, like spilled starlight ink, shimmering with an otherworldly glow that could induce dizziness if stared at for too long.
Tang Sui took a step forward with her reshaped left leg. Her snow-white ankle was also adorned with these elegant, bizarre patterns.
She walked upon a path paved with countless bones, treading over the Great Dao formed by countless lives and beliefs. Her robes billowed, the black and deep purple forming an ultimate palette. The golden crown worn on the back of her head shone as if illuminated by sunlight, flowing with radiance, connecting to the vast faith surging towards her. With each step she took, with her ascent, this terror-inducing divine power solidified within her slender body.
Even the consciousness of this world's Heavenly Dao could no longer easily control Tang Sui.
"Boom—!!"
The Heavenly Dao raged, rules repelled, but all were powerless. They could only watch as another ethereal human-shaped silhouette materialized beside Tang Sui, who stood poised on the Great Dao.
The silver-haired girl, adorned with golden pendants, slowly opened her eyes. Like fine wine poured into a cup, the pale golden liquid reflected the translucent glass into an ethereal hue. Shedding her deep black, a divine golden color appeared. Her face, identical to Tang Sui's, showed a look of indifference as she cast a contemptuous gaze at the sky, at the unseen existence raging impotently behind the heavy clouds.
"The birth of a god is complete. Even rules cannot change that."
The seven dark golden, one-eyed masks, clustered around the twins, materialized alongside the black mask, their cold gazes fixed on the heavens.
—Author's Notes—
I originally planned to use the "Yan Yin Qian Mian" skin as her godhood form, but then! My daughter got a new legendary skin, "Shuang Xi Die"! It's absolutely gorgeous, with the black and white colors reversed! As a mask enthusiast, I immediately decided that's the one.